Posts Tagged ‘Salsa Cycles’

I was happy to get out and check over the site for the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo for a short period recently. This place is amazing. Okay, let’s imagine for a minute that Nebraska is something other than what most folks think. (In other words, not flat!) Yeah, yeah, I know. You don’t believe it. Nebraska is boring. Well, if you think so after this post, you’re just being stubborn! Check this out……….

Western Nebraska is “Big Country” in a good way!

One thing that most folks don’t realize is that the “interstate”, (I-80), is built to use the path of least resistance through Nebraska, just like the railways used, and the wagon trains before that: Right along the Platte River valley. (“Platte” means “flat” in French) Get away from the Platte valley, and you’ll find a much different Nebraska than you ever thought of.

Down hills are tough, steep, and fast at Potter’s Pasture.

That’s what we have found at Potter’s Pasture, an amazing landscape that is at once beautiful and surprising in its unique makeup. Potter’s Pasture is just what the name implies: a grazing land for cattle which roam freely about the approximately 1600 acres of ground here. The cattle do a unique and cool thing to the land. they make “cow paths”, yes, but because of the nature of the soil, these paths evolve into ruts in many places. These can swallow a rider whole in spots. Kind of like riding in narrow trenches, only at really steep angles!

The cows create challenging trails that make riding a ton of fun out here.

The nature of the cow’s trails are such that you have barely enough room to keep your pedals, handle bars, and at times, your shoulders from contacting the trail. It is like a 3D single track: At once narrow in a lateral plane and a vertical one. But that isn’t the whole story here. Not by a long shot. Climbs are long, gradual, steep, and you are definitely going to need a granny ring here. Many times there are step ups created by roots, and technical moves are called for quite often. The down hills range from fast, wide open, rippin’ types to switch backed, slow speed, tree lined, and exposed. The way a trail you are on changes is fun in this way, because one downhill can have all the aforementioned traits in one run!

Negotiating some rooty step downs.

The soil is a “loess” type. Very silty, fine, and tires get a great bite in it. Knobby tires with good traction are recommended here. I also found that a dual suspension rig was really the ticket to ride, but we had fellows on hard tails on our ride that were having a blast, and even single speed rigs have a place at Potter’s. I chose a Big Mama, which I have reviewed for this site. There were also two other Big Mama bikes on this ride as well. All were set up differently, but this bike was a perfect platform to base a ride of Potter’s Pasture on.

Chad and MG piloting there Big Mama rigs through some Potter’s pasture goodness.

The full suspension 29″er rig is tailor made for Potter’s Pasture with its rooty, step down, and technical descents. The way the Big Mama handles this is awesome and climbing is where I thought the Big Mama was really tops here. The traction necessary to step up over roots, and dig in on the steepest sections was quite evident. I think lots of rigs are capable at down hill runs, but the nimble handling and climbing abilities of the Big Mama were really the thing that impressed me. All three of us cleaned really tough climbs and we were told afterward that we were “walking away” from the other bikes being ridden in the group on the ups. Pretty impressive.

In my opinion, I have always thought Salsa Cycles philosophy on the Big Mama was a perfect fit for a remote, back country type ride. Potter’s Pasture bore that out for me in spades. It is a reliable, fun, capable handling rig that I never thought was holding me back. Even set up with the 120mm travel Reba Team fork, which jacks the bottom bracket height far beyond what Salsa designers intended, this bicycle was really sharp. Maybe a tad bit tippy in a couple of really tight switchbacks, but doable all the same. In the 100mm setting, the bike would definitely be even better, and my riding companions bore that out for me. (Both having 100mm travel forks on their Big Mamas).

So, that’s the report on the site of the 2009 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo and a bit of a Big Mama update. Check out the event if you can, or if you are ever in the area, it is worth a side trip to Potter’s Pasture to taste the “big country” of western Nebraska.

The Salsa Cycles Big Mama is the companies first stab at a big wheeled full suspension rig, (if you don’t count the soft tailed Dos Niner), and is squarely aimed at the trail category with its four inches of suspension travel in the rear. Here is my final thoughts on the bike after riding Big Mamas off and on for over a year now.

I have had the unique opportunity to ride the Big Mama set up in entirely different ways on two different frames. The production version frame shown here is set up with a Reba Team at 120mm travel and I have also spent significant time on one of Salsa’s pre-production samples set up with Fox forks at 100 and 120mm travel. I have ridden Big Mama’s in varied terrain ranging from quite rocky and slippery, to tight and technical. Buff single track to rooty trails with steep, punchy climbs. The Big Mama has been satisfying in most every way, but as with any bicycle, there are a few nits.

First of all, the issue with intermittent chain suck. I will tell you that I took every precaution against it happening,(lubed chain, good parts in decent condition), but I found that a certain quirk of the frame design makes an occasional chain jam a problem. The Big Mama has a massive forged bottom bracket/main pivot piece that leaves little room between it and a 32 tooth middle chain ring. If the suspension is cycled just right, and the rear derailluer kicks the chain up just so, it will jam between the forging and the chain wheel. This happened twice to me during my testing. Fortunately, in my years of experience, if I feel any resistance to pedal pressure that is odd, I don’t pedal through it, but if you do, it may make your day come to a screeching halt. Obviously a few different drive train choices will eliminate that issue, but if you run a standard crank set up, (mine is an LX 42/32/22) then you may want to be aware of this potential problem.

The only other minor nit was that the powder coat gets marred kind of easily by the cable housings, and there are several places that this happens at on a Big Mama. I used some clear tape to ward off the onset of unsightly marks. Too bad there isn’t some way to avoid this, but it is only a minor complaint. Otherwise the powder coat has been pretty durable on this sample.

Handling And Performance: As I have stated in previous updates, I have run the Big Mama most of the time as seen above, with the Rock Shox Reba Team 120mm travel fork with the Maxle Lite 20mm through axle. This set up yielded a higher bottom bracket, and slightly slacker angles. I didn’t feel it hurt the performance of the Big Mama at all. A more “XC” approach does give the Big Mama more of a hard tail feel when you mash the pedals, but the snappiness still is there with the slightly slacker set up. An XC set up also makes the Big Mama turn a bit quicker, but I could pilot the Big Mama around the tight twisties just fine, and the stiff chassis was a big reason why. With all the forged bits and the Maxle, the Big Mama is going where you point it. Slow speed technical maneuvers are not shaky, or vague feeling. I only detected the slightest bit of flex at very intermittent times from this bike. Overall, I would rate the chassis quite highly against many other bikes.

Suspension Performance: The Big Mama is unique in that it does not have a rear pivot near the rear wheel axle. Instead, it relies on some amount of seat stay flex, much like a Dos Niner’s chain stays flex, to allow for the suspension to operate. I never noticed anything odd about this set up. My only nits with the suspension is that it seemed a bit overwhelmed in terms of rebound in situations where several medium sized trail obstacles were hit while seated in quick succession. Things such as smaller branches/roots in the 3-5 inch diameter range, or when several depressions in the trail surface were hit in a row. The suspension seemed bouncy at times in these situations, but this was a rare occurrence. Probably something a good suspension mod could take care of for a particular rider. Otherwise I would say that the Big Mama has a good range of adjustability, damps the trail chatter really well, yet retains a “connectedness” that some designs wipe out with the trail you are riding on. This is more a personal preference thing, perhaps, so take it with a grain of salt. I happen to like the feedback I get from the trail, so I am okay with the Big Mama’s ride in that sense.

I found that in big hits the Big Mama has a bit of a ramp up in compression at the very end of the stroke, but it isn’t a bad thing. It isn’t a “bottomless” feeling stroke though either. Again, not bad, just different. Depending on your personal likes, the Big Mama can absorb small trail chatter very well. I found the stock setting for my weight worked well in this sense. The suspension seems to be really active even on climbs, which I found to be a great asset in getting me up and over some steeps I haven’t been able to conquer on any of my other rigs. Granny ring climbing is fine, slow speed mashing is a bit of a bob inducer, but not bad if you are seated. Quite acceptable actually. Standing and climbing taxes the design the most, but switch the ProPedal over and it takes much of the bob out and it feels very hard tail like, especially when locking out the fork in combination with the ProPedal.

I had no issues with getting all the travel on the biggest hits. Overall, a very good performing suspension design, with a tilt towards the stiffer, more trail feedback sort of feel than some other designs. Downhills were a piece of cake, and the Big Mama cornered through fast turns and rolled over obstacles in its path with aplomb.

Conclusions: The Salsa Cycles Big Mama is a bike that bridges the gap from XC to All Mountain. As I was exploring its intended purpose as an “all day trail bike”, I couldn’t really find any holes in the design. My nits are all minor and could be easily addressed. The suspension performs in a well mannered way with the rider being able to feel the trail, yet not get bitten by it. It isn’t the “magic carpet”, “buttery feeling”, or “bottomless” suspension feel other bikes may possess. But it does have a snappy feel when it is time to motor, it climbs steeps like it has tank tracks, and can bomb a downhill just fine, thank you very much.

The chassis is solid, very rigid laterally, and as Salsa intended, it seems to be very durable and trustworthy. It is light where it can be without sacrificing this, and I appreciate that from a design intended to be ridden all day, most anywhere. As I found out, it can be successfully set up in a few rather different ways, so riders can build up the frame option into a more personalized tool to satisfy more closely their intentions. It isn’t an All Mountain chunk rig, and it isn’t an all out full suspension XC rig. However; if the Big Mama is used as your “go to”, every day trail bike, I don’t think you can do a whole lot better in the four inch travel 29″er full suspension category.

It has been too long since I have posted about the Salsa Cycles Big Mama, but now that I have gotten in some more time with it I can now post this “Mid Term” report. My “First Impressions” of the Big Mama set up as a more aggressive trail rig are here.

Here is the Big Mama with the latest set up.

I have been tweaking out the set up on the Big Mama over the last few months and here are some of the changes I have implemented: Swapped out to a Salsa Shaft seat post, swapped out the grips to the new Ergon GA-1 grips in white, swapped out to Quad Dime XC brakes in white with new Quad rotors coming soon, and finally, I have been running Specialized’s The Captain 2.2 inch tires on the Gordo rims.

The trails have been sloppy and wet for the most part over the duration of the test period. (As evidenced by the mud on the tires and the rest of the bike here.) This made for some sketchy moments in certain areas, but I was feeling secure on the sure footed suspension the Big Mama and the Rock Shox Reba Team have going on. The Fox damper and the Reba get along quite well on the Big Mama and I was happy to find that getting a balanced feel was easy front to rear. I was also pleased to find that I could dial in a very plush, almost disconnected to the trail feel to a more tactile feel with very smooth suspension action without a mushy sensation, or wallowing through the travel at all. In fact, I have been dialing in a bit more firmness into the rear suspension of late, which is a personal preference of mine. All in all a good, tunable platform that should provide most trail riders with something they will find comfortable using. As for the ProPedal switch, I never use it and leave it on the open setting all the time.

The Fox damper works well with the Reba Team fork set at 120mm travel up front.

The Big Mama impresses me most by its lateral rigidity and solid feel. I have not had the pleasure of riding every full suspension bike out there, but I can say I’ve ridden some good ones. The Lenz Lunchbox, the Niner R.I.P. 9, and a short stint on a Pivot 429 come to mind. The Salsa Cycles Big Mama rides in the same league as these fine rigs in my opinion. Certainly it is very different than those bikes, but it has that level of refinement and high performance that those frames also exhibit. The seven forged frame parts and the overall design certainly add up to a solid performing rig no matter what you want to compare this bike to.

One Enduro bearing on the left, two on the right. What does that equal? No flex!

I thought it might be fun to revisit a quote from my first report on the Big Mama just over a year ago:

I have ridden a lot of full suspension bikes and the first thing one should determine is “what type” of full suspension are we talking about. Salsa head honch, Jason Boucher, says this is first and foremost an “all day trail bike”. Taking that into consideration as I rode it, I could then discern if it fit into my expectations for such a bike. I would say that such a bike should be maneuverable, respond to pedaling input in a positive way, (read “like a hard tail”), be stiff laterally, and have overall handling that is easy to navigate when the rider is tired. It should also do what the best trail bike full suspension should do, that is, keep the rider fresh and keep the wheels in contact with the ground. Finally, it should be fun and look cool.

Okay! That was a lot of expectations loaded on to this bike right out of the gate. While I still am on my way to finalizing this review, here is what I have to say so far concerning the above. Is the Big Mama an “all day trail bike”? I will not hold back and wait till the end for this and say “Yes“. You could find a suspension setting that would work for almost any trail setting that isn’t full of big drops, huge stunts, or death defying down hills. The Big Mama is going to be great at doing some “all mountain” stuff, but it will be a better rig for all day “trail” rides that require the rider be fresh at the end of the day as possible. I guess everybody has their “definitions”, but here’s the bottom line: I’d take this into the back country any day and ride all day as long as the trails are not going to require me to dress like a hockey player. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just use that to illustrate a point.)

Salsa promises a through axle compatible drop out will be available for the rear in the future.

I will also state for the record that the Big Mama looks good……to my eyes. I like the swoopy lines and the details that make this bike easy on the eye. I have seen a few peoples Big Mama set ups and I can honestly say I think they all look really cool. Sure, it doesn’t matter when you are in the middle of nowhere riding the Big Mama, but it doesn’t hurt either!

Smart cable routing help make the Big Mama easy on the eyes, and function well.

As for the other early expectations, I will hold off judgment for the time being. Stay tuned as I wrap up the testing on The Big Mama in a month or so.

Normally after this long a period with one bicycle I would be giving a “Final Review”. The thing is- I’m not done with this bike yet. The Fargo is just too versatile a rig to put a final word out on it already. That said, I am going to give you readers my thoughts on the Fargo and tell you where I’m going with the bicycle after this point.

Two single trackin’ Fargo rigs.

The “Big Question”: First of all, the Fargo elicits a strong reaction from folks. Often I get a “Just what is that bike for? Is it a______” (Insert any one of several specific bicycle types here.) The “Big Question” really should be the “Big Clue”. It means that the Fargo is, if nothing else, a very versatile bicycle that could do many tasks well. I can not possibly call out every one of the Fargo’s possible uses, but I can tell you what it is<em>really good at</em>. The other question about the Fargo has to do with its “drop bar centric” design. I’ve covered the drop bar thing in great detail, but if you have not seen any of those posts, you can check them out here: Part IPart IIPart IIIPart IVPart V.

The Fargo blends in well, no?

The Off Road Fargo: The Fargo off road is a wonderful rig. It really is a fun single track shredder. One thing to remember though: The Fargo is a rigid bike with a non-suspension corrected fork that has a specific offset designed to work with the geometry of the frame. Okay, what does that mean exactly? Well, it means that you shouldn’t put a suspension fork on this bike. You really should stick with the stock fork as it comes with the Fargo. The good news is that this is a fantastic steel fork. The bad news is that this is a fantastic steel fork! The “rigidness” of the Fargo imparts a certain riding style and technique, a certain use that will not be suited to, oh let’s say…..<em> all mountain riding</em>. (Although, once upon a time mountain bikers rode all over the place on rigid steel rigs, ya know.) I think that the Fargo is best suited to buff single track to maybe some light technical trails. I rode it on several occasions where there were rooty, rocky descents, drop ins, and tight, twisty ascents. The Fargo can do this, and it shreds in fast, flowy trail settings. However; the Fargo has a lower bottom bracket height that may, or may not, be a problem for you. I liked it, and yes- I got ejected out of my pedals and struck things with the pedals from time to time.

Designed in Minnesota, Made in Taiwan

The Back Roads Fargo: This is where the Fargo starts to come into its own. The Fargo absolutely shines on fire roads, dirt paths, gravel roads, and the like. Anywhere a road bike starts to become a liability, the Fargo starts to really make a lot of sense. Of course, if you are putting the Fargo to touring duty, and you have to traverse this sort of terrain, there are not many other choices in 700c wheels that can do what the Fargo can. One thing I found is that the heavier the load, the comfier the Fargo gets, just like a nice steel touring bike for the road. Gravel road riding and dirt road riding, for fun, adventure, or racing is tailor made for Fargo owners. Call it “multi-terrain”, or whatever, the Fargo is the right tool for the job here.

Back roads are the Fargos forte’

The Pavement Fargo: Here is where maybe some folks will have a harder time justifying the Fargo as a viable choice, but they really shouldn’t. Put on some nice, voluminous street rubber and the Fargo becomes an urban pot hole eating machine. That burly steel frame, the rider position bred from off roading, and the way the Fargo’s steel frame gives in that classic way that only steel can makes it a great choice for the urban-bound rider. Add in the fact that it can be decked out easily with fenders, racks front and rear, and any assortment of bags one could desire, and you have a sleeper of a commuter rig. Not only that, but you could spend about a half an hour and swap out rubber, remove some of the urban trappings, and be mountain biking on your favorite secret inner city trail. Going real skinny with the rubber will cause you to have a bottom bracket height that may be an issue though, so if high speed city travel or spirited club riding is in your cards, their are far better rigs for those purposes. (Perhaps Salsa’s own Casseroll model?) However; don’t discount the Fargo as pavement bike. It is a suitable heavy city cruiser capable of carrying a big load and laughing at rough city streets.

Urban scenes are Fargo territory too.

The Fargo From Here To…: The Fargo here at Twenty Nine Inches is now going to be set up as a light tourer in more of a “bike packing” vein. Think minimalistic gear, lighter weight than full bagged touring, and capable of going off road. The adventures will wait until I can assemble the proper satellite gear, but when I do, I’ll be back with some reports.

Going far? Go with a Fargo

The Bottom Line: The Fargo is not only a very unique 29″er, it is a very unique bike- period. It is capable of pulling off mountain biking, and doing a decent job of it. It can shine as your “multi-terrain” steed, or it can pull duty on city streets with the best commuter rigs. Is it the one bike for everything? Well, the answer to that question is “no” of course. Here’s where I stand on the Fargo: If I had to get rid of all my bikes but one, the Fargo would be at the top of my list of choices to keep.

Thanks to Salsa Cycles for providing the Fargo for review. Stay tuned for some “adventurous” updates soon.

Normally after this long a period with one bicycle I would be giving a “Final Review”. The thing is- I’m not done with this bike yet. The Fargo is just too versatile a rig to put a final word out on it already. That said, I am going to give you readers my thoughts on the Fargo and tell you where I’m going with the bicycle after this point.

The “Big Question”: First of all, the Fargo elicits a strong reaction from folks. Often I get a “Just what is that bike for? Is it a______” (Insert any one of several specific bicycle types here.) The “Big Question” really should be the “Big Clue”. It means that the Fargo is, if nothing else, a very versatile bicycle that could do many tasks well. I can not possibly call out every one of the Fargo’s possible uses, but I can tell you what it isreally good at. The other question about the Fargo has to do with its “drop bar centric” design. I’ve covered the drop bar thing in great detail, but if you have not seen any of those posts, you can check them out here: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V.

The Off Road Fargo: The Fargo off road is a wonderful rig. It really is a fun single track shredder. One thing to remember though: The Fargo is a rigid bike with a non-suspension corrected fork that has a specific offset designed to work with the geometry of the frame. Okay, what does that mean exactly? Well, it means that you shouldn’t put a suspension fork on this bike. You really should stick with the stock fork as it comes with the Fargo. The good news is that this is a fantastic steel fork. The bad news is that this is a fantastic steel fork! The “rigidness” of the Fargo imparts a certain riding style and technique, a certain use that will not be suited to, oh let’s say….. all mountain riding. (Although, once upon a time mountain bikers rode all over the place on rigid steel rigs, ya know.) I think that the Fargo is best suited to buff single track to maybe some light technical trails. I rode it on several occasions where there were rooty, rocky descents, drop ins, and tight, twisty ascents. The Fargo can do this, and it shreds in fast, flowy trail settings. However; the Fargo has a lower bottom bracket height that may, or may not, be a problem for you. I liked it, and yes- I got ejected out of my pedals and struck things with the pedals from time to time.

The Back Roads Fargo: This is where the Fargo starts to come into its own. The Fargo absolutely shines on fire roads, dirt paths, gravel roads, and the like. Anywhere a road bike starts to become a liability, the Fargo starts to really make a lot of sense. Of course, if you are putting the Fargo to touring duty, and you have to traverse this sort of terrain, there are not many other choices in 700c wheels that can do what the Fargo can. One thing I found is that the heavier the load, the comfier the Fargo gets, just like a nice steel touring bike for the road. Gravel road riding and dirt road riding, for fun, adventure, or racing is tailor made for Fargo owners. Call it “multi-terrain”, or whatever, the Fargo is the right tool for the job here.

The Pavement Fargo: Here is where maybe some folks will have a harder time justifying the Fargo as a viable choice, but they really shouldn’t. Put on some nice, voluminous street rubber and the Fargo becomes an urban pot hole eating machine. That burly steel frame, the rider position bred from off roading, and the way the Fargo’s steel frame gives in that classic way that only steel can makes it a great choice for the urban-bound rider. Add in the fact that it can be decked out easily with fenders, racks front and rear, and any assortment of bags one could desire, and you have a sleeper of a commuter rig. Not only that, but you could spend about a half an hour and swap out rubber, remove some of the urban trappings, and be mountain biking on your favorite secret inner city trail. Going real skinny with the rubber will cause you to have a bottom bracket height that may be an issue though, so if high speed city travel or spirited club riding is in your cards, their are far better rigs for those purposes. (Perhaps Salsa’s own Casseroll model?) However; don’t discount the Fargo as pavement bike. It is a suitable heavy city cruiser capable of carrying a big load and laughing at rough city streets.

The Fargo From Here To…: The Fargo here at Twenty Nine Inches is now going to be set up as a light tourer in more of a “bike packing” vein. Think minimalistic gear, lighter weight than full bagged touring, and capable of going off road. The adventures will wait until I can assemble the proper satellite gear, but when I do, I’ll be back with some reports.

The Bottom Line: The Fargo is not only a very unique 29″er, it is a very unique bike- period. It is capable of pulling off mountain biking, and doing a decent job of it. It can shine as your “multi-terrain” steed, or it can pull duty on city streets with the best commuter rigs. Is it the one bike for everything? Well, the answer to that question is “no” of course. Here’s where I stand on the Fargo: If I had to get rid of all my bikes but one, the Fargo would be at the top of my list of choices to keep.

Thanks to Salsa Cycles for providing the Fargo for review. Stay tuned for some “adventurous” updates soon.

The event in Kansas was attempted and for reasons of poor health was cut short for me a bit. This post is about the Fargo and how it did in the brutal, rocky, dusty conditions in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I will recap from the same photos I used last week in this post so there will be some continuity to this discussion.

The Course:The Dirty Kanza 200 is a gravel, dirt, and pavement ride through the Flint Hills region of east central Kansas. If you think of Kansas as flat and boring, well……you need to go here! At any rate, the roads are a mixture of flint gravel, bed rock out cropping, small drops, (up to a foot and a half), water crossings with sharp rocky bottoms, straight up dirt double track, and a bit of pavement that traverses a course of 200 miles over tall hills with long, steepish grades that can end up in climbs of up to three miles. The wind, which is always around out there, was especially wicked this year with gusts at times of over 40mph and temperatures that hovered in the mid 90’s for most of the day.

The Set Up: The performance of the entire set up was spot on. Not one hiccup, skip, or worry was experienced at all. This was a great thing, obviously, but was a small surprise as well, given the super rough sections that Dirty Kanza’s course covered this year.

The Banjo Brothers top tube bag was a big success. It held whatever I tried to jam into it and didn’t flop around, even when I inadvertently unleashed one of the stem straps. No worries, I reattached it on the fly and it wasn’t a mistake that caught me out. I should mention that the Salsa’s extended head tube design makes one of these sorts of bags a great fit.

My “found” seat bag performed flawlessly as well, never coming loose at all, staying stable, and not falling apart. The Fargo was weighted just right, I thought, with this load here and the water on the fork blades. It felt very balanced.

Here is something I found pretty interesting. The Edge Composites wheels with the American classic hubs didn’t flinch, flex, of fail me in any way. The WTB Vulpine tires might possibly be the best rocky, dry, hard pack conditions tire I have ridden in terms of speed, durability, and climbing. A quick note: The course had several low water crossings that featured rocky bottoms. After each one I crossed, the casualties along the roadside from pinch flats were numerous. Not a problem for the wheels and tires I rode, and I slammed through every water crossing at speed and with impunity. I would definitely trust this set up for any long trip, adventure, or race. (And yes- I was using tubes)

The carrying of water on the bike instead of on my back was a great improvement in an event like this where a full suspension bike is overkill, too heavy, and slow. The Fargo arrangement, with two bottles on the fork blades, is no problem at all to steer. In fact, I didn’t notice any improvement after I emptied the bottles on the fork blades. The steering felt exactly the same to my mind. My only regret is that I didn’t mount a sixth cage under the down tube. As for retention of bottles, I would recommend that you use the available braze ons for a toe strap to hold the bottles in on the fork blades, or use a Cat Eye cage like I did, which was perfect for on the fly water bottle grabs and the cages never showed any signs of ejecting the bottles. Even over the rough, rocky drops and downhills that Kanza has on offer.

Conclusion: The Fargo exhibited the nice frame cush that I felt it had on my rides at Interbike. The frame rides better the harder you push it. The Fargo climbs great, out of the saddle sprints are straight forward matters. No surprises, no odd sensations. The drive train I was using is pretty much the same as a Fargo Complete, and it performed spot on. Shifts were crisp and were accomplished under power. The brakes were excellent, (but that has a lot to do with a careful set up on Avid mechanicals). No fade, plenty of power.

What would I change? I would go with a titanium seatpost next time, or maybe a Cane Creek Thudbuster, the course is that rough, but most likely a titanium post would suffice. I would go with the full compliment of six cages and bottles. Otherwise, I would change nothing. I was super pleased with my selections on equipment and the Fargo is a no brainer for this event. It could be set up as a “fast” bike with skinnier rubber, (although I seriously question that choice), and you could go even more minimalistic than I did to lighten the rig even more. Still, whatever you decide on equipment, to my way of thinking, you can not find a more efficient, comfortable way to hang a rider on a bicycle for this long, rough, and grueling event than a Fargo. Whether you are racing, touring, or riding for fun, the Fargo excels at this sort of thing. I can not think of any better bike for a mixed terrain ride than the Fargo from Salsa Cycles.

The “race Fargo” set up is complete now with my final tweaks having been made on a training ride over the holiday wekend. Here’s a look at the Fargo as it will appear at the Dirty Kanza 200 event on May 30th.

The final Dirty Kanza 200 set up.

The basic foundation, of course, is the Salsa Cycles Fargo, which I feel is a perfect rig for the person that wants to complete an event like Dirty Kanza. It isn’t the fastest rig you could take into an event like this, but it definitely would be the most efficient and comfortable rig for the rider, when you take all the factors into consideration. Just one thing that quickly comes to mind is the fork. Salsa Cycles has obviously put a lot of effort into this fork, and it shows. I haven’t ever really said much about it, because, well…..the rest of the bike sort of overshadows it. However; last Monday, I could literally see the fork working like crazy and I wasn’t feeling anything at the bars. Nothing. Nada. Zip! That’s awesome, because normally this isn’t what you would expect from a tough, braze on laden steel fork. It’s just one of the reasons that the Fargo is a supremely comfortable rig for the long hauls.

The Banjo Brothers top tube bag thingie

I chose this Banjo Brothers bag for the top tube because it isn’t too big, and it rides on the rough gravel without moving. It has a clear flap that Velcros over as a cover, so you can see what is or isn’t left inside. I will be putting my head light’s external battery pack, a cell phone, a camera, some wet wipes, and a bit of nutrition in there.

The piping is reflective too. A bonus if I end up riding into the night. (I probably will!)

From the Land of Misfit Bags….

I had a nice old Kangaroo seat bag on my Fargo for a bit, and it would have worked, but I wanted a rain jacket that would work as a cool weather covering. I found that in the Endura Stealth jacket, but it isn’t the most packable jacket in the world. So I was pondering what to do, when I came across this red beauty in the “long forgotten” department at work. It was a take off from a trade in, I imagine. It doesn’t have any identification as to the maker, but it looked to be really solidly made with double gnarly Velcro seat post straps and nylon strapping for the back end that slipped through the snap down brackets on the top of the bag. What is even better is that I can get the Stealth jacket in with the entire contents of the old bag, plus another tube, patch kit, and multi tool with room to spare. Would it stay stable on rough gravel? Well, after 40 miles, it showed no signs of slipping, movement, or anything negative to put me off from taking it, so I am taking it. We’ll see how that works out.

Hoops of High-techy-ness

The wheels will be the carbon fiber rimmed, American Classic hubbed, Edge Composites set up. I will admit that these wheels are crazy expensive, but they ride really nicely on gravel by reducing vibrations a ton. Stuff that would normally rattle me enough to cause fatigue will take a lot longer to get to me with these wheels on board. They are pretty light and strong to boot, so I thought a 200 mile ride in the Flint Hills would be just the ticket for these.

Plenty of H2O!

Probably one of my favorite things about the Fargo: The water bottle mounts! Five bottle mounts, (I could have set it up with six!) should get me from check point to check point with plenty of water- none of which will be on my back- which will also reduce fatigue on my body that would cause me to not be as comfortable on the bike. The bottles all stay put, are easy to reach, (yes, even the fork mounted ones) , and do not mess with the handling of the bike to any great degree. The Fargo also has a pump peg, so my favorite Blackburn frame pump comes along. (Note the zip tie rear peg!) The tires are the WTB Vulpine 29″er tires which roll really well on gravel, have a pretty thick tread area, and the WTB tough side walls that will hopefully repel the flint rock down there. I have injected the tubes with a bit of Caffelatex for good measure.

Well, that’s the main set up. I will give a report afterward on the performance of these things and a rundown on my performance on the flinty roads of Kansas next week.